In her memoir about growing up white and privileged in the South, Episcopal priest and feminist theologian Carter Heyward shares this story from her childhood: she loved horses, and she often rode one special horse named Red. One day, while she was riding, she was having an especially difficult time getting Red to synch up with where they both needed to go. If she indicated right, Red went left, and vice-versa.
Her frustration grew and grew (which, of course, did nothing to address the problem!). Eventually her trainer entered the ring, saw what was happening, and shouted out, “Communicate with your horse, Carter!” So, she reports that she started talking to Red as if the horse was a child, or a friend. The trainer corrected her immediately: “I didn’t say talk to Red. I said communicate!”…